RT Rez Worksheet

Edit 0 3 …
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
  • Seven Native American women who are all related in some way are living on the Wasaychigan Hill Indian Reserve in Ontario in the 1980's. Each woman, differing in age and backgrounds, has a desire to win THE BIGGEST BINGO GAME IN THE WORLD. They would all want to put the prize money to different uses, but ultimately each woman wants to better herself.

2. What is the intrusion?
  • The thought of leaving the reserve is only a distant dream for Pelaija until her half-sister, Annie, comes barging onto the scene with news of this huge Bingo game outside of the reserve. This breaks the stasis of the boring, monotonous reserve where the biggest source of gossip comes from Big Joey's. With this type of money, the women's dreams are really possible.

3. What is the unique factor?
  • What makes this play unique is the relation all of the women have with each other. The quarrel at Emily's store can be traced back to deep-rooted conflicts the women have with each other, whether it be stolen husbands or reputations, they don't always get along. These quarrels break out largely due to the fact that all of the women are related, making their arguments even more personal. When each women reveals their inner thoughts and backstories as well, this family relation brings them closer together not only as friends, but as family.

4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
  • Will any of the women win the prize money?
  • How will Marie-Adele's cancer affect her?
  • Will the women settle their feuds and get what they want?

5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
  • Known to most: the biggest bingo game in the world is indeed, real, and the sisters must attend
  • Known to one: Zhaboonigan was molested by two white men with a screwdriver, which is revealed to the audience only by her confession to the seagull

6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
  • The fight in Emily's store
  • Marie-Adele's death

7. List some of the themes of the play.
  • Family
  • Empowerment
  • Community

8. What does the chief character want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
  • There is no one main character in the play, but each sister wants her own reward for winning the bingo game. It can be as simple as a new stove or a bigger dream like moving away from the reserve, but the biggest obstacle the women face is each other. Only one can win the grand prize and it's a matter of if all of them get to Toronto in one piece before killing each other during the ride there. Their stubbornness and judgment keeps them from seeing the good in each sister.

9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
  • Nanabush: a seagull at some times and a nighthawk at others, he represents a spirit watching over the women but beyond communication with them, except for Zhaboonigan. The women have lost sight of their culture
  • The toilet: representing Philomena moving forward past traditions of the reserve

10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
  • The sisters are all related somehow, but somehow so distant that they're able to live their own separate lives without seeing each other so often. The way the sisters argue is indicative of family relation. The insults they hurl beyond the politeness friends or acquaintances would point out about each other. In the end, the women come together after sympathizing with each other's determination through their struggles, proving that family sticks together through anything and everything.